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The Wolf in Disguise
It had been a good day so far; reports of agricultural production were encouraging, the border with the Land of Fire remained peaceful, and their growing sea trade with neighboring islands was starting to pay dividends for Eigakure's economy. All in all, it was enough for the Eikage to be in a boisterous mood, while remaining largely oblivious to the dark cloud of fury hanging over her village. Her conversation with Eihei would be interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in!" With that, the assistant would enter, with a mix of fear, disbelief, and anger. "You have a visitor Eikage-sama....the Kazekage," they said haltingly. The assistant would be greeted with smothering fury as the Eikage stood, her good mood dissipating as her chakra surged. "Ei....how did he find this place?" Eihei's expression was far from amused. "Unfortunately, Sunagakure seems intent on not leaving us alone....shall we see what this overgrown man child has to say?" Shunrai thought for a second, the assistant sweating as the pressure in the room built. "Sure, let's see this purple headed son of a bitch so I can put a foot up his ass," the Eikage decided aloud, gesturing for the pale-faced assistant to go retrieve him. After a couple minutes of navigating the building, the assistant arrived to the lobby of the Eikage’s building. Gaman sat silently, his arms folded across his body, his mouth pulled into an almost embarrassing scowl. “U-um..” Gaman put his hand up. “Let me guess, she’s ready to see me?” The assistant nodded nervously. Gaman stood up from his chair, gesturing the assistant forward, and followed him to her office. “Just right i-“ “Thanks,” Gaman expressed, exhaling deeply as he knocked and entered. And there she was. Gaman didn’t approach the desk. Not after their last encounter. He simply stood towards the front of the room, his arms folded across his body; he was tense, and whether someone was a shinobi or not, that much was obvious. Ever since he had arrived to the village, there was an anger that the citizens imposed upon him. There eyes pierced through his silk turbans like scorching knives. However, such was the fate of a man such as he, and as a Jinchūriki he had been exposed to far more dangerous malice. He had thought that pressure would have eased up as he stepped into the office, yet Shunrai's very will bore down upon him like gravity. Hers alone was far stronger than even her collection of citizens. Gaman was impressed... "I'm not going to beat around the bush here...Er, I know that last time, you know, things might have gotten out of hand and shit." "Why the fuck did you casually come to my village Kazekage?" she snapped in response. With her good mood evaporated, she sensed acutely the fury of her citizens; they held no love for the Great Nations. That one of the leaders from those god forsaken places had the chutzpah to come here....she shook her head. "What about your kind is not welcome do you not fucking understand?" Shun continued, not even addressing the disrespect levied at her during the meeting. That would be the next order of business. Gaman clenched his fist. "I-I am here to make a deal with you, lord Eikage." He looked down at the ground. His body trembled. "See, I've decided t-that we need to cooperate more with the villages outside of the Five Great Nations. As a member of the Shinobi Union, I believe that Eigakure and Sunagakure could, perhaps, forge a deal." "A deal....a fucking deal....you must be a comedian. You insulted me and my predecessors, belittled my citizens, and minimized the treacherous history of your precious alliance; if it can even be called that. And no you have the nerve...the motherfucking nerve to march in her and ask for a deal??? I could ignore the rest, but calling my citizens sheep? Dismissing the predecessors that built this haven for the people who your "wolf" countries cast out and trampled underfoot? Not happening. NOW GET OUT." The pressure already present kicked up a few additional notches. "I'm hardly a comedian," Gaman spoke, his voice as shaky as his quivering body. "I'll admit that my words were harsh, but t-this is my att-" he paused for a brief moment, exhaling deeply in an attempt to calm himself. "Attempt to make things right between Sunagakure and Eigakure. Please do not let my petty words, um, sway you from that point, Lord Eikage." Still looking to the floor, Gaman dropped onto a knee. "I ask you this out of respect for your position, as not a minor nation, but as an equal of Sunagakure." "So now you respect my position....." she commented, shaking her head as the pressure lessened. "You realize you don't have to convince just me, you have to convince my second," Shunrai nodded her head to Eihei before continuing, "you must convince my assistants, convince the citizens of this village. The wounds delivered by you and your Gokage counterparts/predecessors are deep, passed from mother to son, father to daughter, grandparent to grandchild, ancestor to descendant. Just dropping to one knee won't solve all that shit." “You know what, “ Gaman begun, jumping to his feet. “I’ve gotten down on a single fuckin’ knee, I’ve apologized for my actions, but I can’t atone for the sins of some other ninja I had nothing to do with. It might surprise you, Shunrai, but other people have issues with previous Kage to. You’re not the only one, neither are your citizens.” He stepped forward. “For one, my village hated my ass, for as a long, long, long ass time. Before that, I was living out in the desert because we didn’t bend the knee to Reto, the First Kazekage. So, all that shit Sunagakure did, me and my people weren’t even apart of it. So, what the fuck you want me to do, Eikage Go back in time and make those bloodthirsty, murderous bastards not bloodthirsty, murderous bastards? Is that what you want?” Shunrai started laughing, despite the situation being anything but funny. "If I had wanted to go back in time you'd be the last person I'd ask; besides, I'd already know where to go. No; a Kage owns up the actions of their citizens. That's all I'm fucking asking to you to do. You "major" villages, despite talk of "keeping us lesser villages employed" tend to view us as simply an extraction source. I'm not sure you realize this, but you're one of five heads to an institution that systematically lets villages like mine rot. Despite the establishment of your Shinobi Union things have yet to meaningfully change....and you wonder why I'm so skeptical. You're at the head of a system that has trashed you and your loved ones...tell me, what have you done to change that system?" she retorted. "The fuck you mean what I have done?" Gaman inquired, taking another step forward. "Have you not paid attention to the news? When I became Kazekage, it was I who led my people against the royal family of the Land of Wind. Town by town we marched, convincing every village of the desert to join under a single banner, so that every inhabitant could feel included in a community that their forefathers prevented them from joining. Then, when the Daimyo attempted to stop me, I took his position from him. It was a good thing for the system afterall. Shinobi are not weapons, tools to be used in minor territory disputed. I refuse to let my people march for a cause that has nothing to do with them, and that's all the Land of Wind's Daimyō was doing; impeding the success of my nation." He pointed down towards the floor emphatically. "And I'm a here right now, to do the same! To attempt to uplift both of our nations. We need fuckin' food. We're in a desert. Crops, agriculture, it's all foreign to us. Shit, even if we had the land we wouldn't know what to do with it. So, I got up from my seat and traveled across that desert to meet with you here, so that my people can eat. I could've gone anywhere else: Konoha, Kirigakure. But no, I came here because I know that you're the best option for my people. I swallowed every bit of fuckin' pride that I had to come here to bend a knee to make amends with you, for MY mistakes. I speak for my citizens, but I don't speak for ghost of the past. The sins of our fathers are the sins of our fathers, and it's up to us to make a blessing out of those sins." He clenched a piece of his robes, centered around his stomach. "That, I know better than anybody." She remained unbowed, her expression hard. "Good to know that it's not hearsay. Seems like daimyō are becoming unpopular these days; unsurprising given their greedy nature," was the responding quip. Shunrai bid him to take a seat in the open chair. "I've seen your guts; you care for your people....even if you're a cunt. So sit your Kazekage ass down; we have details to iron out. Though I have one question, how are we are the best option for your people? While Kirigakure is understandable given their new faces, you and Konoha have enjoyed a warm relationship for decades...then again, deposing a daimyō is bound to make that Fire Daimyō nervous about his own position; but I'd like to hear your reasoning on the matter," she commented before crossing her arms. "Despite my brash nature, I want to heal my people; not open up old wounds." Gaman stepped forward and took a seat. "Everyone is well aware that Eigakure is the greatest agriculturalist village in the world. Even Konohagakure, with all the fertile land bestowed upon them by the First Hokage, is not even close. But, that's not the main reason why. It's your location." From his turban, he withdrew a map. "See, our major port and the Land of Focus are directly across from one another, right across the gulf. With Konoha, we can transport goods through the Land of Rivers, but then we have to pay their taxes and fees for bringing goods through their territory. Over the years, they've become increasingly aggressive in these taxes. I assume it's because we're in an era of peace, and they understand that we are far less likely to start a war over something like that. Still, this is an issue. Sunagakure has enormous sums of money, due to our large sources of gold, iron, and oil. However, we still have sanctions to pay. Hefty sanctions because of my status as a Jinchūriki, and ever since Naruto passed and the previous Kage, these sanctions have been steadily increasing in price. However, if we trade directly with you, we don't have any of these issues, because we have no neighbors between us if we trade by the sea." Once he had taken a seat, Shunrai elected to do the same, stretching before leaning back in her chair. Eihei took a standing position next to her. "I see.....so that's the reason. Hmm....it's nice to see other villages flexing their muscles; showing that neither we nor our people will be pushed around by you lot like in the past. It's interesting that you're forced to pay sanctions just for being a jinchuriki; did your counterparts agree to this measure and force your village's compliance? As for your comment about it being simple trade between us by sea....that's not quite the case. I'm sure you've heard of maritime borders no? Well...the Rivers and my nation share one and well..it comes perilously close to the water that you would like use to make your way here. I'm surprised you didn't know such a thing had occurred." "The Land of Rivers only own the upper portion of it. Pretty to where the Hanguri word on the map is. The rest below it is property of the Land of Wind. That's why this will work," Gaman informed casually. "It's a fairly recent discovery. It was the Land of Wind that owned the entire bay. We gave a portion of it to the Land of Rivers because of some reparative event. Probably for starting a war and using their territory to settle it." "I never said it wouldn't work, only the margin for error is rather minimal," she responded while folding her arms behind her head. "You mentioned earlier our agricultural might and how we're a breadbasket even more productive than Konoha...while buttering me up is wonderful, what would we receive in return? Oil is off the table; we don't deal in fossil fuels that tarnish our landscape and destroy our ecosystem. Gold and iron do sound wondrous though...but what else does your land offer if not agricultural wealth?" Gaman put his hand on his chin. "Well, the only thing I can immediately think of that is beneficial to the sustainability of Eigakure is aluminum. That's recyclable or somethin' right? I don't know too much about your sustainability, but I do think my advisors noted that might be something of importance." "Aluminum is both recyclable and reusable; coupled with its durability, it's quite a useful commodity to have. I'm sure your advisors mentioned putting it to work in your own environment. Moving on, we need to talk numbers...we may seem like it, but our resources are not limitless." She then moved one hand to the desk, drumming her fingers along its surface. "Also, stop staring at me so hard; your eyes will fall out of your fucking skull at this rate." "W-What?!?!" Gaman basically shrieked, his face turning a bright red. He folded his arms, grimmacing into a pout. "Please! As if I would ever! Im the kazekage, a proud warrior of the Land of Wind. I can have any woman I want." At this point Eihei chose to speak. "Oh I know that; it's why the Eikage would never end up with a tramp like you...how many women have you knocked up now? Ten? Twelve? As for the number of children you've produced, it's cringeworthy. Warrior? More a sleeper than a fighter," she noted casually. Shunrai began laughing. "Gods, your face is as red as a fucking cherry!!" Gaman sat quietly for a moment. "Its not my fault that the women in Sunagakure are fertile as fuck. We dont have fertile land so we have to fertile something. But the number of heirs I have is irrelevant!" Shun continuing giggling, wiping tears of merriment from her face. "It is if you don't know what a fucking condom is. Pretty sure it's a problem if you have a ton of babies but little if any land to grow food with," she crowed. Ei glared at Gaman. "It is when you make eyes at a potential trading partner as if they're another conquest to be made in sheets." Gaman returned Ei's glare. "Eikage, who even in this woman. She sounds like a hater...." Shunrai smirked. "My second in command; meet Head Ninja Eihei Uzumaki. I'm sure you know who her father is...." "Raido, the Raikage right?" Gaman inquired, smirking devilishly. "Yeah, the guy with what....13-14 children or something?" Eihei glowers. "The point of the matter is you making eyes at the Eikage has nothing to do with the trade conversations at hand. So kindly bring yourself back on topic." "I wasn't making googly eyes at the Eig……You know what, nevermind." Gaman straightened his posture. "Yes, about the numbers right? Well, I would assume since you were doing me a favor by even hearing me out, you can name your price. We'll pay pretty much anything." "Hmm....anything you say....that's a rash promise to make. For the exports we'll start with 200 billion ryō; that number will be adjusted as costs in processing, packaging, and shipping across the sea are accounted for, along with human capital costs and potential outsourcing. This is a stepping stone trade deal; your village proves its worth and how much it's grown and perhaps more extensive trade will follow. Sound fair?" Shunrai commented, crunching numbers in her head. Gaman nodded in agreement. "The deal is more than solid. I'm happy that we're doing business together, Eikage." For perhaps the first time since their meeting, Gaman's face warped into a smile. "I suspect that you'll write up the agreement in full and have it sent to me?" "You can count on it; don't fuck this up ok? Otherwise I'll put my foot up your ass; me and every other person in this country really. So do us all a favor and make sure things go off without a hitch from your end. Also, stop smiling, your face is about to crack into a million pieces; and I'm sure as hell not picking that shit up," she commented. Gaman pouted. “Seriously? I give you a smile, and you talk about how my smile is shit?” He shot up from his chair. “I’ll have you know, I’ve subdued entire nations with this smile! This is the smile of a god you’re looking at, a true fuckin’ deity. You best be impressed.” "Your smile is trash; it looks like you're grimacing or taking a shit," Shunrai retorted, placing her feet on the desk. "If anything, you've antagonized them with such a shitty smile; makes you look like you're up to no good and in need of a beat down. Do better shithead." "Hmph," Gaman responded, turning his body the other way. He walked to the door and opened it. "Eikage, thank you." He hurried out the door, slamming it shut in the process, leaving both Eihei and Shunrai to their lonesome. "You're welcome?" Shunrai started, slightly miffed by his sudden exit. "What the fuck was that all about?" Eihei shrugged. "Should I?" Shunrai nodded. Eihei focused, tracking the Kazekage's retreating chakra signature before stepping towards his location. "What's the big hurry Kazekage?" she asked. Gaman looked around confusedly. "What the fuck? How'd you? You're a Space-Time Ninjutsu user? No wonder she keeps you around. I need one of those type of ninja." Ei waved away this revelation. "Answer the question; why leave in such a rush?" she pushed. "Leave in a rush?" Gaman repeated. He smirked. "Ah, I see. Look, you're a nice girl...er, Eihei right? Yeah, you're a nice girl, but just not my type." She ignored his comments. "I personally prefer it that way. But you digress; you have yet to answer why you left the Eikage's Offices in such a hurry." "I didn't think I did," Gaman admitted. "I thought that was the conclusion of our meeting. Though, while you are here, I am wondering a good place to eat. I would like to dine before I head to Sunagakure." "So you're the type to run out of meetings...noted. As for a place to eat, I would recommend that place," she commented, pointing to a bustling ramen shop nestled in a busy section of the restaurant quarter. "Their dinner sets and lunch sets are magnificent, tell the owner Eihei sent you." With that, she turned to leave. "Wait!" Gaman called out. "I didn't run out of the meeting, okay. I just didn't know there was anything else we needed to discuss. I'll follow you back to her office." She turned. "Here's a better idea," Ei started before placing her hand on his shoulder, whisking the two back to Shunrai's office, finding a peeved Eikage waiting for them. Eihei returned to her side. "Word of advice: Don't go running off like that. It makes your ass look suspicious, and then I call down the whole brigade on you. I knew you were stupid but gods, didn't someone teach you etiquette?" Shun snapped. Gaman scratched the back of his head. "Running off like what? All I did was leave." He shrugged. "All I did was stand up, then leave the room right away. What's the issue in that?" "More like your ass ran as if wolves were chasing you, nipping at your heels and shit. Walk out like you have some level of damn dignity. Gods, shouldn't you have been schooled in this shit already? You're a fucking Kazekage for chrissakes, I thought they groom people for that position," Shunrai retorted. ".....Growing up, a lot of people hated me. So I hated them back, not because I actually did but because," Gaman stopped. "Point is, expressing gratitude is not something I do easily, and when I do it, it's often quite embarrassing. That's why I hurried out of here." "Jeez. You act like saying thank you will kill you; if it's genuine it's genuine. No need to be embarrassed about it. To think, the "big bad wolf" is afraid of gratitude; get over yourself. If you can develop a thick ass skin for hate and shit, then you can say thank you without blushing like a maiden in love," Shunrai responded, folding her arms. “Fucking shit, woman!” Gaman retorted. “You sure you’re not the fucking wolf? You’re ruthless! And for your information, I'm NOT afraid of gratitude. I just don't like showing it. It's beneath someone of my stature." "Ding ding ding! Congrats! You just said the correct answer and won a prize! It only took you several meetings to figure it out," Shunrai started, her tone laced with sarcasm, "No..it's not beneath your position; you're afraid because you think it shows weakness. Just to say a simple fucking thank you." She tsked. "I feel like this is something you're never going to leave alone is it?" Gaman inquired, pinching his nose and closing his eyes. He sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry for running out of the room. Thank you, Eikage for this deal. I really appreciate it," he recited. "Is that better for you?" "It was fucking fine to begin with; all you had to do was walk out like a normal person; not "head for the hills because your army was decimated". Also, don't sound like a reciting twat or I'll whoop your ass. Now go tend your people," Shunrai responded with a dismissive wave. Gaman smiled. "Should I, you know, use the door or should I slide underneath of it. I just wanna make sure that I'm using the door correctly to leave, your majesty.." She would throw a shoe at him, curving it so it would nick his shoulder lightly. "Get out of here you dumb fuck," Shunrai retorted. "Heh, see ya cindarella." Gaman walked to the door and departed. "Well.....that was eventful," Eihei remarked after Gaman left before turning to Shunrai, "What did you think of him?" "A dickwad whose ego is too damn large....nice to see that he gives a shit about his citizens though," Shunrai commented before sitting up. "Any other Gokage coming to kiss ass?" "Nope, he was the only it seems." "Good, cause anymore and someone would be hurt. Dealing with more than one Gokage a day is a bad health practice."